FCC Looking to Enable Nationwide Number Portability

The FCC wants to make it easier for consumers and businesses to port their number from one carrier to another. People can already bring their number with them when they change carriers, but there are location-based limitations that sometimes prevent porting from one area of the country to another. The FCC wants to erase the location-based limits so people can bring their number with them no matter where they go. "Nationwide number portability would benefit consumers and competition in many ways," said the agency. "It would level the playing field for small wireless providers, which often can’t port in a number originating from a location where they lack facilities. It would eliminate disparities that make wireline and VoIP porting more limited than wireless porting. And it would increase network efficiency in an era where all-distance calling is the norm." The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and is seeking comment on the idea. It wants to hear from industry players with respect to the regulatory and technological issues that may need to be surmounted in order to bring number portability to all carriers nationwide.